habitatNo information available.seasonalitySpecimens present in the Strickland Museum were collected in mid June.identificationPyractomena dispersa (8-12.5mm long) at a glance closely resembles P. borealis, and like the larger species can be distinguished from all other Alberta lampyrids by the presence of light organs on the ventral abdomen of both the males and females. Female light organs are restricted to the edges of these abdominal segments. It can be distinguished from P. borealis by the secondary pubescence on the dorsal surface of the elytra. While longer primary pubescence sparsely covers the entire elytra of P. dispersa, the very small hairs comprising the secondary pubescence cover only the apical quarter of each elytron, making more of the elytra appear glabrous than in P. borealis. The pubescence may extend a little further along the elytral suture.life historyNo information available.conservationNo information available.diet infoThe larvae of P. dispersa may feed on snails, like those of P. borealis (Archangelsky 1999) and P. lucifera (Arnett 2001), an eastern Pyractomena species.rangePyractomena dispersa occurs in central Alberta. In North America, it has been collected in scattered states and provinces, ranging from the Northwest Territories to Alabama, and from Maine to Idaho and Utah (Green 1957).taxonomic hierarchy